Earth working tool



jm@ Z Filed Oct. 1, 1945 M. OOLDRE EARTH WORKING TOOL Y l v j f I Je m i 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVlsNroR.

MHCK 1,1/00L la Patented June 29, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE EARTH WORKING TOOL Mack Wooldridge, oakland, calin assigner to American Tractor Equipment Corporation, a corporation of California Application October l, 1945, Serial No.`619,453

1 Claim. (Cl. 97-50) This invention relates to an improvement in earth working tools and particularly to an improved earth cultivating device for use on a track type tractor.

It is in general the broad object of the present invention to provide an improved earth working tool, particularly an earth cultivating device.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a cultivating device in which the depth to which an earth working tool enters the earth can be controlled, the tool being moved relative to the tractor on which it is mounted when the tractor alters position and would otherwise cause the tool to dig into the earth to an abnormal depth.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved cultivator construction, particularly characterized by its simplicity, ease of installation and rugged nature.

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing will appear hereinafter wherein the earth working tool of this invention is disclosed.

Referring to the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating the tool installed upon a typical track laying type tractor.

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the tool at the front end of the tractor in an elevated position.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a partial plan view.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Figure 1, a tractor, generally indicated by numeral 6, includes a main frame Il on opposite sides of which are mounted track assemblies I0. Each assembly includes a drive sprocket 1, an idler sprocket 8, the two sprockets supporting a continuous track 9. Each track assembly lil, provided upon opposite sides of the tractor main frame Ii, is movable with respect to the main frame about the axis of the associated drive sprocket 1; the main frame is supported at its forward end bya spring (not shown). The tractor construction described is Well known and forms no part, per se, of the present invention. In fact, any dirigible vehicle can be employed.

In accordance with this invention, an earth working tool is so fashioned that it may be readily l installed in position. To this end, a Ipair of spaced plates I4 and I6 are provided upon each side of the tractor and are adapted to be suitably secured along each side of the main frame and between it and the adjacent track frame as by being bolted to the main frame at various spaced apertures 59, in a plate 5i.

points to this end, 'bracket I5 is welded to the inside face of each plate I6 at the front end thereof, each bracket being attached by several studs to the main traine. At their rear end the plates I4 and i 6 are secured. as by clamp 20 to an extension 2| on the tractor main frame. The plates I4 and I6 arejoined together by suitable transverse members to provide a rigid channel construction in which certain presently described mechanism is installed. The channel provided by plates Il and I6 can be mounted on a tractor main frame in any desired manner suited to the tractor construction employed. At an intermediate point depending brackets i1 are secured to plates i6 to provide a support for a rotatable hollow cross tube IB.

At the forward end of the tractor a tool support structure, generally indicated at 3l, is provided. This is adapted to be raised and lowered to a desired position, a link 32 being pivotally mounted at 33 between plates I4 and i6, and connected pivotally at 34A to vertical frame member 36. An angle iron member 31 is hinged as at 38 to the frame structure 3l, while at its other end, the

angle iron member is hinged as at 39. Also hinged at 39 is a bell crank structure, generally indicated at 4i, and including an arm 42, extending forwardly and having a cross member 43, extending beneath the angle iron 31. A rod 44 is connected to the other arm 46 of the bell crank 4I and to a lever 41 mounted upon cross shaft I8. A piston rod 49 extends from a piston (not shown) in hydraulic cylinder 5l to the lever 41. Upon application of uid to either side of the piston, under the control of valve structure 52, in a manner well known in the art, lever 41 is moved and bell crank 46 is moved about its pivot. To simplify the structure, only one cylinder 5i is installed, cross tube IB serving to transmit the movement of lever 41 to a similarly positioned lever 41 on the other side of the tractor in turn secured to the cross tube I8.

At its forward end, the tool frame structure 3|, carries two spaced wheels 56, the wheels being adjustably mounted on the frame, being pivoted as at 51, and their position being adjustable by means of a pin 58 set into one or more oi the Depending upon the position of the wheels, the cylinder 5i and its associated piston may be so actuated that bell crank 4l is moved away from the angle iron member 31 and does not provide support. In this case, the independent mounting of the tool frame enables the wheels to support the frame. This protects the tools and prevents their being forced into the ground positively, thus insuring, forexample, that the root structure of plants undergoing cultivation will not be damaged.

The tool trame structure 3| includes a plurality of transverse members Il'extending across the tractor and Joined together by a plurality of short, vertical members, 12, to provide an open, basketlike structure to which various tools, e. g. plow points, discs, blades or the like, can be positioned at a desired distance below the frame and. at various spaced positions across the tractor. Because of the parallelogram frame mounting provided for each tool frame structure, the iframe is raised and lowered with the frame in the same position relative to the ground in all positions. In this connection it is pointed out that link 32 and angle iron member 31 are of the same length while pivots 33 and 39- are spaced apart the same distance as are pivots 36 and 33.

A similar construction is utilized for the tool frame structure provided at the rear end of the tractor, except that in this case the frame is reversed and the wheels are mounted so as to extend forwardly to insure that the tools are protected. The same numerals have therefore been applied to like elements except in the case of levers l to which numeral 8l is applied and to cylinder 5I and piston rod dii, 32 and 83 being utilized instead. Levers are mounted on each end of a. cross shaft 84 which is journalled in and extends through and beyond cross tube I8 so that movement of either lever 0I is transmitted to the other. If desired, a cylinder and piston structure can be utilized to move each lever 51 and each lever 8l instead of depending on the force transmission through cross tube I8 or cross shaft 84. This construction may be desirable if a heavy tool is employed.

I claim:

An earth working attachment for a diriible vehicle having a main frame and a track frame on each side thereof; comprising two channel members secured to said main frame, one on either side and between the main frame and the track frames, two pairs of parallel links each pivotecl for vertical movement at one pair of ends to the channel members, a tool support frame supported transversely to the channel members at the other pairs of ends of the links. Ibell crank means pivoted to the channel members, one aum of which supports the links and tool support frame against downward vertical movement, hydraulic means in connection with the other arm of said bell crank for determining the position of the bell crank,

and a wheel mounted in advance of the tool support frame for contact with the earth to move the support frame vertically, independently of the bell crank means.

MACK WOOLDRIDGE.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences'are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,019 Brown Feb. 10, 1942 1,827,237 Jones Oct. 13, 1931 2,030,352 Choate et al Feb. 11, 1936 2,082,554 Silver June 1, 1937 2,174,808 Tuft Oct. 3, 1939 2,297,301 Hippie Sept-29, 1942 2,305,254 Hirschkorn Dec. 15, 1942 2,324,840 Hippie July 20, 1943 2,332,720 Hippie Oct. 26, 1943 2,368,156 Orelindet al, Jan. 30, 1945 2,404,760 Washbond July 23, 1946 

